Chapter 107

Chapter 107

Lottelans First Military Academy, abbreviated as the "First Academy."

Students privately nicknamed the "First Academy" as "Academy A," just because the proportion of Alphas on campus was excessively high. Their surplus energy and notoriously annoying behavior were notorious far and wide.

Meng Shijiu and Jue Ning hadn't gone far from the infirmary when they saw a crowd gathered at a crossroads ahead. Voices of argument could be heard from within the group, clearly indicating a conflict had broken out.

Meng Shijiu cast a disinterested glance at the crowd and lowered his head to take another bite of his apple.

Jue Ning held a cup of pomegranate juice in one hand and Meng Shijiu's hand in the other. After glancing at the crowd, he guided Meng Shijiu toward the less crowded side.

Suddenly, a collective gasp rose from the crowd, followed by people rapidly stepping back, causing the circle to bulge outward.

*Thud—crack!* After a dull impact, the large decorative crystal by the roadside made a shattering sound. The crystal, as tall as two people, fragmented and crashed to the ground.

Immediately after, a voice laced with amusement sounded from within the crowd: "Oh dear—this is quite a mess."

The voice wasn't loud, but it spread clearly amidst the stunned silence.

Meng Shijiu stopped in his tracks upon hearing it: Huh, an acquaintance.

The silver-haired Alpha immediately shoved his half-eaten apple into Jue Ning's hand and prepared to slip through the gap the crowd had made to get to the front.

Jue Ning was prepared. Just as Meng Shijiu's wrist was about to slip from his grasp, his fingers abruptly tightened, preventing the man from disappearing before his eyes in an instant.

"Where are you running off to?" Jue Ning's voice fell behind Meng Shijiu's ear as he gently pulled the silver-haired Alpha, who was already halfway into the crowd, back half a step.

Following him as they squeezed into the crowd, feeling the gazes from all around converging on the person in his arms once more, a flicker of annoyance crossed Jue Ning's eyes.

Miscalculation.

Having finally managed to win over the Alpha who usually couldn't stand him, Jue Ning naturally wanted everyone with eyes to clearly see their joined hands, to dissuade any improper thoughts.

So, he had been leading the oblivious, food-focused Meng Shijiu through areas with more foot traffic—who knew the idiots at First Academy had no tact, freezing in their tracks at the sight of Meng Shijiu.

Even though the man was by his side, hand clasped in his palm, those undisguised stares still clung like shadows, greedily roaming over his treasure.

Jue Ning unconsciously tightened his hold.

The deputy team leader from the Federation's directly affiliated Combat Department during the training camp.

Sure enough, an acquaintance. Meng Shijiu's gaze shifted slightly.

Beside the deputy team leader, the familiar Alpha still wore an indifferent expression. A jacket was casually draped over his shoulders, and the top two buttons of his inner shirt were undone, revealing his collarbone.

It was Captain Jing.

Jing Shu lowered his head, indifferently nudging a piece of the crystal near his foot with the tip of his boot. The fragment scraped against the ground, emitting a grating *scrape* sound that betrayed a barely contained irritation.

He had gone to great lengths to land this assignment for the Combat Department—a temporary inspection team for the multi-school alliance competition, with high authority and freedom of action.

Originally intending to give Shijiu a surprise, he deliberately hadn't sent a message. However, his flyer malfunctioned en route, preventing him from arriving at the assembly hall on time, and then he was stopped by troublemakers halfway.

Now, it was already dark, and he hadn't even caught a glimpse of the person. No wonder his earlier strike had been a bit heavy-handed.

Opposite the two, several Alphas wearing First Academy uniforms helped up the Alpha whom Jing Shu had slammed into the crystal.

The deputy team leader crossed his arms, his gaze lightly sweeping over these sullen-looking First Academy students as he said with a smile:

"What does the First Academy's school regulation state again? Intentional damage to public facilities requires compensation for the full cost and deducts fifty percent of the disciplinary points for the collective the perpetrator belongs to that month..."

A few suppressed gasps sounded from the crowd. First Academy's disciplinary points directly affected resource allocation and training permissions at the end of the month. Fifty percent—that was practically carving out flesh.

Meng Shijiu had no idea about First Academy's school regulations. He was simply watching the drama involving an acquaintance, so without a second thought, he obligingly started clapping for his old friend.

The applause sounded particularly crisp and even somewhat jarring in the crowd.

The deputy team leader never expected that on First Academy's turf, someone would actually applaud for "outsiders."

Frowning, he followed the sound and immediately spotted the silver-haired Alpha who had appeared at some point, clapping with a serious, almost performative expression, though a faint smile lingered in his eyes.

The deputy team leader silently lowered his arms, his face reddening slightly.

Over there, the several First Academy Alphas who had been somewhat confrontational moments ago looked at Meng Shijiu and immediately seemed to deflate, their postures becoming more subdued.

Jing Shu seemed to notice something and raised his head.

His gaze cut through the chaotic crowd, went straight past the deputy team leader, ignored Jue Ning, and firmly locked onto Meng Shijiu, whose eyes were slightly curved.

The silver-haired Alpha's beautiful eyes seemed veiled in a light mist, his expression too faint to discern clearly. Only his cold, pale, slender neck, under the evening light, revealed a texture as fine and clear as white porcelain.

Jing Shu's originally relaxed posture had, at some point, become completely taut.

His Adam's apple moved with restraint beneath his skin, as if words had rolled over it only to be swallowed back silently.

Then, he strode forward, utterly unconcerned, crunching over the scattered crystal fragments littering the ground, heading directly toward the other.

Only when he reached Meng Shijiu did Jing Shu seem to wake from a dream, finally noticing the person beside the silver-haired Alpha. His gaze lingered on Jue Ning for barely half a second before naturally withdrawing, lowering his eyes to look quietly at Meng Shijiu.

Meng Shijiu smiled. Under Jue Ning's heavy gaze, he withdrew his hand and extended it toward Jing Shu. "Captain Jing."

No sooner had he spoken than Jing Shu took a step forward, pulling him into a solid embrace, and sighed softly, "Shijiu."

However, before this hug could even warm up, it was bluntly interrupted by Jue Ning at the side.

"Captain Jing." Jue Ning narrowed his eyes. He didn't look at Meng Shijiu; his gaze locked on Jing Shu's arm, which was still wrapped around Meng Shijiu's waist, like a viper arching its back, slowly measuring where to strike.

"For catching up, shouldn't you consider the setting first?"

He even wore a slight smile at the corner of his mouth as he spoke, but there wasn't a trace of warmth in those eyes.

...And just like that, the dinner for two that Jue Ning had been anticipating for weeks suddenly turned into a party of four.

*

By the time they finished eating, it was already quite late.

According to the preliminary competition schedule, the initial rounds were set to begin tonight. Jing Shu and the deputy team leader still had to return for their shift.

Before leaving, Jing Shu seemed to remember something. He turned back and asked Meng Shijiu, "Shijiu, where are you staying tonight?"

Although a single meal was enough for even a blind person to discern the situation between Jue Ning and Shijiu, Comrade Jing Shu—this outstanding Alpha who had remained entrenched in a management position by relying on his skill of feigning blindness—now elevated the traditional art of "selective blindness" to new heights.

Not only did he completely ignore the frosty atmosphere emanating from Jue Ning, but he also kept calling him "Shijiu" with utter composure, sincerity, and genuine affection.

Never mind who the official boyfriend actually was.

The title is yours, but the mouth is mine. I'll call him that, so what? If you have a problem with it, let's fight.

And Jue Ning, having just assumed his "position," could not possibly do anything foolish that might upset his darling boyfriend. He had no choice but to employ the "deafness" skill.

"I can't hear you."

What's Alpha dignity worth? Nothing is more important than coaxing this silver-haired, blue-eyed, smiling terror before him.

As for Meng Shijiu, a true master of "out of sight, out of mind" and "in one ear, out the other," he only remembered tonight's lodging after Jing Shu reminded him.

The First Academy didn't provide much lodging; most participating schools had booked off-campus hotels, and St. Mary's was no exception.

However, his eldest brother had always been thorough, especially after the previous disappearance. Meng Shiyan seemed to have maxed out his "overprotective" skill, securing a nearby residence and sending Lei Ze to pick him up that evening.

As Lei Ze was picking him up, just before getting in the car, Meng Shijiu glanced back and thought he saw a "resentful" look on Jue Ning's stone face. He almost thought he was seeing things, blinking slowly before deciding he must have been mistaken.

He lazily waved at Jue Ning as a farewell. Then, he was expertly steered—pulled in, shielded, and guided by Lei Ze, as if he were a precious, fragile object, and gently tucked into the car.

The door closed, shutting out Jue Ning's heavy gaze.

...

The autumn night was pitch black.

A long, fierce wind swept through the streets.

After reporting back to Meng Shiyan, Meng Shijiu glanced at the time.

The silver-haired Alpha walked to the window and gently opened it.

He had seen tonight's prelims list, which included Yue Xuanli's name. He had planned to go see it but hadn't told Yue Xuanli.

The room was on the second floor, and the sound of regular patrol footsteps drifted up from below. Meng Shijiu stood by the window, watching Lei Ze lead a team past silently below, their shadows stretched long by the streetlights, about to be swallowed by the deeper darkness.

Without hesitation, Meng Shijiu placed a hand on the windowsill and slipped out the window like a wisp of smoke.

He landed precisely on a protruding decorative ledge below, steadied himself, then engaged his core to leap lightly sideways.

When he reached the first-floor eaves, he released his grip and bent his knees, landing soundlessly on the soft lawn. By the time he stood up, he was already in the shadows at the base of the wall.

The autumn wind was heavy with cold, brushing away the last bit of sleepiness from his face. He looked up at the two-person-high courtyard wall not far away and let out a silent yawn.

As Meng Shijiu vaulted over the wall, he saw the hazy glow of distant streetlights blurring into the darkness.

He had just landed, and the area was deserted. In the night, he could only hear the continuous, faint rustling of wind through withered branches and dead leaves.

This silence carried the bone-chilling cold unique to autumn nights.

Meng Shijiu had just taken half a step forward—

"Going somewhere?" A voice sounded less than half a meter behind him, low and flat, so close it felt like it was right against his ear.

Meng Shijiu whipped around, truly startled, his breath catching in his throat.

He instinctively tried to back away but ended up solidly bumping against the wall, though something cushioned the back of his head.

That hand was icy cold, making the back of his head feel like it was resting on a block of snow.

The newcomer radiated a bone-chilling cold, as if he had been standing in the frigid wind for who knows how long. As his tall figure closed in, Meng Shijiu couldn't help but shiver.

The icy embrace enveloped him tightly, leaving no gaps.

The sound of fabric rustling was right beside him, and the other's shadow loomed from above, completely covering him.

Meng Shijiu trembled. "Jue Ning..."

The lips that pressed against him were also cold, trailing light kisses along the silver-haired Alpha's warm neck, with only the scorching breath stirring up fine tremors.

Jue Ning whispered against his ear. "Sneaking out."

He paused, pressing closer, his cold nose nuzzling behind Meng Shijiu's ear.

"Caught you."

Meng Shijiu's legs went weak. Bracing himself against Jue Ning's arm, he looked up and met Jue Ning's dark eyes in the night.

Suddenly, those icy, intense pupils contracted slightly. Jue Ning leaned in closer, murmuring in a breathy voice:

"There's someone in your room."

Like a breath surfacing from deep water.

Meng Shijiu glanced up along the wall. Behind him, Jue Ning held him tighter, silently kissing his scent gland.

Or rather, it was more like biting.

Like a beast clamping onto its prey's throat, not tearing at it immediately but holding it, slowly grinding with its teeth.

Jue Ning: "Who is it?"

Meng Shijiu barely managed to glance at the window. The second-floor window was already closed—See had closed it.

He had asked See to guard the room and leave the door open for him.

Meng Shijiu whispered, "A robot."

He really wasn't lying.

Jue Ning didn't speak, only used his teeth to grind slowly and heavily against that warm, soft skin.

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Author's Note: [Heart][Heart][Heart]